0088 Tito Burns [Tito Burns and His Sextet] FLAC 6(17.29)

TITO BURNS 1921-2010
Jazz accordionist, bandleader and promoter Tito Burns died on 23 August 2010 aged 89.
Whilst Tito was never a leading light or major influence in the jazz world, he supported the new 'modern' music and gave a start to many of the young modernists such as Pete Chilver, Tommy Pollard and Tony Crombie in his Sextet.  Ronnie Scott and Johnny Dankworth were with his band for a time in the late 1940s too.
Tito's Sextet featured in the BBC's long running Accordion Club programme from 1947 onwards and it was said to be the first group to play bebop on radio.
Tito struggled to make a living from playing music as the new sounds of Rock and Roll emerged in the mid 1950s and eventually he gave up playing and moved successfully into the field of management and promotion with his music agency.
He married his band vocalist, Terry Devon, in 1948  and this small musical tribute features the Tito Burns Sextet of 1951 where Terry (who survives him) can also be heard.

(01-04)
Leon Calvert - trumpet
Jimmy Chester - alto, baritone (01 03 04)
Tito Burns - accordion, vocals (04)
Ronnie Price - piano
Johnny Hawksworth - bass
Derek Price - drums
Terry Devon - vocals (02-04)
(05 06)
Albert Hall - trumpet
Jimmy Chester - alto, clarinet
Rex Morris - tenor
Tito Burns - accordion, vocal
Ronnie Price - piano
Coleridge Goode - bass
Derek Price - drums
Terry Devon - vocals (05)

01 Johnny Come Lately
02 East Of Suez
03 Somebody Loves Me
04 Everlovin' Blues
05 A Lesson In Bop
06 Festival Hall

Label: Esquire 10-126/133/183
Recorded: March 06 (01-04) July 12 (05 06) 1951
Lineage: EPs>FLAC

0050 Various [A Modern Mixture Volume 1] FLAC 8(24.56)

Contributed by bluebird, who writes:-
Issued in 1952 this lp showcases some of Esquire's then current modern jazz recording artists  - an early 'sampler' in fact. 
As was the case at this time, some of the music is derivative and you can hear strains of Kenton, the Shearing Quintet and even Jackie and Roy. However, it gives a good indication of what was being played by the modernists in 1951/52. The stand out is the imaginative 'Pina Colada' by Kenny Graham.

(01)
Jo Hunter - trumpet
Kenny Graham - tenor
Jack Honeyborne - piano
Roy Plummer - guitar
Cliff Ball - bass
Dickie Devere - drums
Leonardo - maracas
Bob Caxton - conga drum
Ginger Johnson - bongoes
(02)
Ronnie Scott - tenor
Tommy Pollard - piano
Lennie Bush - bass
Tony Kinsey - drums
(03)
Leon Calvert - trumpet
Jimmy Chester - alto
Rex Morris - tenor
Tito Burns - accordion
Ronnie Price - piano
Johnny Hawksworth - bass
Derek Price - drums
Terry Devon - vocal
(04)
Victor Feldman - vibes
Ronnie Ball - piano
Pete Blannin - bass
Tony Kinsey - drums
(05)
Jimmy Deuchar - trumpet
Eddie Harvey - trombone
Johnny Dankworth - alto
Don Rendell - tenor
Bill Le Sage - piano
Eric Dawson - bass
Tony Kinsey - drums
(06)
Johnie Ashcombe - vibes
Basil Tait - piano
Len Williams - guitar
Bob Hill - bass
Norman Burns - drums
(07)
Ronnie Ball - piano
Pete Blannin - bass
Tony Kinsey - drums
(08)
Ronnie Simmons - trumpet
Stan Reynolds - trumpet
Dave Usden - trumpet
Terry Lewis - trumpet
John Keating - trombone
Ken Goldie - trombone
Ronnie Chamberlain - alto
Peter Howe - alto
Ronnie Scott - tenor
Pete Warner - tenor
Jimmy Simmonds - baritone
Arthur Greenslade - piano
Alan MacDonald - bass
Peter Coleman - drums
Marion Williams - vocal
Vic Lewis - vocal

01 Pina Colada
02 Flamingo
03 East of Suez
04 Excavation
05 The Slider
06 Nearing Shearing
07 Thou Swell
08 Lemon Drop

Label: Esquire 20-011
Recorded: 1951 and 1952
Lineage: LP>FLAC

0042 Tito Burns and Norman Burns [Meet the Burns Tito and Norman] FLAC 8(25.15)

Contributed by bluebird, who writes:-
1954 recordings by two almost forgotten figures in the history of British Jazz. 
Tito Burns was a jazz accordionist and ran a very progressive jazz sextet between 1947 and 1955 employing many of the future stars of British modern jazz but the musicians here are not too well known on this septet recording. Tito later left full time playing and  became a successful jazz agent and promoter. He was married to vocalist Terry Devon who can be heard on 'Modern Mixture' elsewhere on this blog.
Norman Burns (no relation to Tito) was a drummer playing with many of the dance bands in the 1940s. He led his own quintet from 1951. He subsequently left full time music, moving to Australia where he died in 1994. On this 1954 recording he leads a septet with musicians who again were not well known.

(01-04)
Amy Tweed - trumpet
Don Savage - alto
Norman Gondall - tenor
Tito Burns - accordion
Johnny Weed - piano
Stan Wasser - bass
Dougie Cooper - drums
(05-08)
John Harris - trumpet
Gordon Langford - vibes
Dave Davani - accordion
Les Allen - piano
Barry Fox - guitar
Brian Short - bass
Norman Burns - drums

01 Midnight Sun
02 Budo
03 Pinky
04 Riff Concoction
05 Jeepers Creepers
06 Happy Lobster
07 Three O'Clock in the Morning
08 I Get a Kick Out of you

Label: Esquire 20-029
Recorded: February 26 (01-04) April 09 (05-09) 1954
Lineage: LP>FLAC